"This report presents results from a study that seeks to determine whether starting participation in Employment Assistance Services (EAS) earlier after initiating an Employment Insurance (EI) claim leads to better labour market impacts for participants than postponing participation to a later time. This study was undertaken as part of stream 2 of the second evaluation cycle of the Labour Market Development Agreements (LMDAs). This report builds upon previous evaluation work conducted on the timing of EAS participation by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC). Previously, the analysis was conducted with a sample of 10% of active claimants across Canada who participated in 2001 to 2003. The current analysis was conducted with up to 100% of active EI claimants who started participation in EAS-only between 2002 and 2005 across Canada. The focus of this report is on the national level results. The provincial/territorial results will be presented in separate reports for each of the participating provinces and territories"--Introd., p. 1.

In Massachusetts, a 12-year-old girl delivering newspapers is killed when a car strikes her bicycle. In Los Angeles, a 14-year-old boy repeatedly falls asleep in class, exhausted from his evening job. Although children and adolescents may benefit from working, there may also be negative social effects and sometimes danger in their jobs. Protecting Youth at Work looks at what is known about work done by children and adolescents and the effects of that work on their physical and emotional health and social functioning. The committee recommends specific initiatives for legislators, regulators, researchers, and employers. This book provides historical perspective on working children and adolescents in America and explores the framework of child labor laws that govern that work. The committee presents a wide range of data and analysis on the scope of youth employment, factors that put children and adolescents at risk in the workplace, and the positive and negative effects of employment, including data on educational attainment and lifestyle choices. Protecting Youth at Work also includes discussions of special issues for minority and disadvantaged youth, young workers in agriculture, and children who work in family-owned businesses.

Activation programs, such as job search assistance, training, or work experience programs for unemployed workers, typically initially produce negative employment effects. These so-called "lock-in effects" occur because participants spend less time and effort on job search activities than non-participants. Lock-in effects need to be offset by sufficiently large post-participation employment or earnings for the programs to be cost-effective. They represent key indirect costs that are often more important than direct program costs. The right timing and targeting of these programs can improve their cost-effectiveness by reducing lock-in effects.